Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha has opened up about some of the biggest moments of his career, including how he got his famous nickname, why a proposed move to Bayern Munich fell through and what forced him out of Paris Saint-Germain.
During his appearance on the ObiOne Podcast, Okocha reflected on a career that took him from street football in Nigeria to some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The retired Nigeria international revealed that the name ‘Jay-Jay’ started in his childhood neighbourhood, where several boys shared the name Austin.
“It started in the neighbourhood where we grew up. All of us were footballers; we were just on the street playing, and my two brothers played as well. We had a few Austins then, so to identify which Austin was which, they started calling me Austin Jay-Jay’s brother. From there, Jay-Jay stuck,” Okocha said.
The nickname became even more useful when he moved to Europe because people often struggled to pronounce his real name, Augustine. Okocha eventually decided to make Jay-Jay part of his official name.
“When I travelled, some people struggled to pronounce my name, Augustine, so Jay-Jay was a lot easier. I decided to adopt the name and put it in my passport. I still pay royalties to my brother,” he said.
Okocha Reveals His Journey With Bayern Munich
Okocha also revealed that Bayern Munich came close to signing him in 1991 after he impressed during a tournament in Switzerland with the club’s youth team.
“I got an offer from Bayern Munich. I went with their youth team to a tournament in Switzerland, and after that, they wanted to sign me,” Okocha said.
However, the move collapsed because he had not yet turned 18 and Bayern could not offer him a professional contract. The club could only give him a verbal agreement, but Okocha wanted something more concrete before returning to Nigeria.
He eventually joined third-tier Borussia Neunkirchen before Eintracht Frankfurt offered him a one-year amateur contract and later a two-year professional deal. He went on to make 90 Bundesliga appearances for Frankfurt, scoring 18 goals before moving to Fenerbahçe.
The Nigerian football legend also reflected on his failure to win the African Player of the Year award, despite enjoying a career that included spells at Fenerbahçe and PSG.
Okocha rejected the idea that his failure to play for one of Europe’s biggest clubs cost him the award. Instead, he pointed to the politics that surrounded African football during that period.
“No, no, no, not really. Not really,” Okocha said. “I mean, I can openly say now that then, of course, a lot of football politics was in place.”
He also admitted that Nigeria’s famous 1994 World Cup team did not fully appreciate its own quality at the time.
“In ’94, I think we had maybe the best Nigerian teams ever, but we were just happy to be at the World Cup, because it was the first time. We didn’t even know how good we were, only after,” he said.
The Super Eagles reached the round of 16 in the United States before Italy knocked them out with a 2-1 win. Roberto Baggio scored twice, including the extra-time winner.
Okocha believes Nigeria could have gone much further if the team had approached the tournament with greater confidence.
Asked whether the squad could have achieved more, he replied: “100%.”
He cited Nigeria’s Olympic triumph in Atlanta two years later as evidence of the talent in that generation. Several players from the 1994 World Cup squad formed part of the Olympic team that stunned Brazil and beat Argentina to win gold.
Okocha also explained why he left Paris Saint-Germain for Bolton Wanderers in 2002.
He joined PSG in 1998 for £14m, making him the most expensive African footballer at the time. However, his relationship with manager Luis Fernandez deteriorated, with Okocha saying he and Brazilian star Ronaldinho had problems with the coach.
“I went to PSG at the wrong time. Imagine going now,” Okocha said.
“We [Ronaldinho and Okocha] had a lot of issues with Fernandez, and I couldn’t understand why. To be honest, that was why I left,” he added.
Bolton offered Okocha the chance to experience English football, but he admitted that he accepted the move without doing much research about the club.
“The offer came at the right time, and to be honest, I didn’t do my research,” he said. “When I heard Bolton, and saw that it was about 10 minutes away from Manchester, I thought both clubs were at the same level.”
He soon discovered the difference after completing the move. Okocha said Bolton showed him their stadium during negotiations but did not take him to the training ground until after he had signed.
His first look at the changing room came as another surprise. He found only three running showers, meaning the players had to queue after training.
Despite the stark contrast with the facilities he had known at PSG, Okocha quickly settled and focused on what mattered most to him.
“What mattered to me was the football, but to be honest, the difference from PSG was day and night,” he said.
Okocha spent four years at Bolton before moving to Qatar SC and later returning to England with Hull City.
